Too late
by aznjtgirl
Summary: she had asked him through her tears, how does it feel when you see them together? He looked at her in sadness and replied miserably, just like this. Oneshot, angsty. Shikatema, one-sided Shikaino, one-sided Kibahina, mentions of naruhina. CoF series


Yeah, this is def shorter than my last one I know, but I cranked this out quick. I watched Harry potter 6 today and this was a scene that made me want to cry :( unrequited love isn't fun.

this can be read standalone, but there are hints of my last oneshot in it, so it goes in the same universe, which i'm calling the cruelty of fate series.

dedicated to JB, who's been a faithful companion to drag me out of my melancholy these past couple days. thanks buddy, i love you for it.

disclaimer: don't own naruto or its characters.

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Her hands trembled as she watched the sand princess kiss Shikamaru. What did that girl have that Ino didn't? Was there something wrong with her? She no longer wanted to celebrate Chouji's birthday.

She ran from the room, hot tears threatening to spill from her eyes. It wasn't like she hadn't had the chance to have Shika, she just…hadn't seen him as more than a friend then. Now, however, she was desperately in love with him and he…well, he only had eyes for _her_.

She ran to the bathroom, knowing that she probably looked horrible. Her carefully applied make up was now blotchy as the tears streamed down her face. She cleared her long bangs away so as not to get the mess into the blonde strands. She swallowed hard as she saw the smears of make up in the mirror.

"Ino?" Tenten was at the door of the bathroom, though she didn't open it. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she called out, hoping to the gods that her voice didn't sound awful too. "I'm fine, I'm just not feeling so well."

"Oh, okay…well Lee and I can take you home, if need be," Tenten offered. Ever since Neji's marriage, Tenten had moved in with Lee and they lived in the apartment complex a block away from Ino's.

"No, I'll be fine. Go enjoy the party," Ino insisted. She couldn't bear to have Tenten see her like this, even though she knew that of all people, Tenten could understand. Tenten was only living with Lee because her own love hadn't worked out; Neji was put in an arranged marriage and there was nothing either of them could do about it. Tenten, at least, had the luxury of hating the other girl. Ino could not after having worked along side Temari several times.

It was no use, Ino couldn't get the picture out of her head. She kept seeing the scene in her mind over and over again. Knowing that Chouji's mother wouldn't mind, she left the bathroom and went upstairs to the guest room. Once the door closed, she broke down and sobbed, knowing that the loud music from downstairs would cover up the sound.

Somehow, there was just no way to tell him herself. She'd kept her feelings hidden, knowing he hated confrontation. "Too troublesome," he would say, she was sure. He had no idea that he was crushing her heart by being with Temari. No, she hadn't told him and she would never tell him.

Chouji knew, of course. He'd always known that Shikamaru liked her and now he knew that she liked him. He had warned her that Shikamaru had moved on, that she had lost her chance. But Ino was stubborn, clinging to the hope that he would somehow maybe still have feelings leftover for her.

Alas, it was not to be. As soon as she started to show interest in Shikamaru, she realized that the liaison had slowly fallen for Temari over the course of his numerous visits.

Ino wept until she could weep no more. Her body had sagged to the floor and she leaned against the spare bed, trying to breathe normally again. The tears wouldn't stop as she remembered over and over again.

There was nothing left she could do, nothing left to say or even want. The man she should have been with was no longer hers and there was nothing she could do about it. Her eyes felt swollen as she hugged herself.

Suddenly the door opened and she saw Kiba standing there. She knew he'd already seen her tear-streaked face, so she simply sat and stared.

"Ino!" Kiba looked at her, thunderstruck

"I…I'm fine Kiba," she said softly in her broken voice.

"No you're not," he countered. He went to sit with her, knowing that she really needed a friend.

"There's nothing you can do," she told him. "This pain doesn't go away."

"You're a fool," he said. "It takes time."

"How does it feel?" she interrupted.

"What do you mean?"

"When you look at Hinata with Naruto…how does it feel?" she asked as she turned to look at him through bleary blue eyes. "I've seen the way you look at her."

Before he could answer, however, the door opened again. Ino felt a fresh wave of tears threaten to start as Shikamaru stood in the doorway with a giggling, tipsy Temari.

"Oh!" the sand princess cried. "Looks like this room's taken. Come on!" She let go and made her way to another room, but Shikamaru stayed.

"Ino," he said, watching the girl in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Get out," she stated quietly.

"Ino," he started, but Kiba glared at him.

"You heard her," he said quietly. "Get out."

Shikamaru glanced at her quickly, but didn't say anything as he walked away. Kiba watched as the other man closed the door behind him with a snap.

Ino broke into sobs again, leaning into Kiba's shoulder. He patted her hand, knowing she needed all the comfort she could get.

"It feels like this," he said sadly. "It feels Just. Like. This." Ino knew that they shared the same pain in his enunciated words.

Fate was cruel.

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jtgirl is sad :( but jtgirl likes how this came out. It was sad, but I like how it came out. No, that doens't mean I like Kiba with Ino, it was just a convenient pairing for the moment. review please.


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